April 22, 2014 — A billboard for the Memphis Police Association is located near the corner of Poplar and Hollywood. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)

As the city's budget season gets under way, the Memphis Police Association is stepping up its campaign for public support to win better benefits and working conditions, using the slogan "Back the Blue."

In recent days, the labor union hosted rallies at busy street corners, including Poplar and Highland this past Saturday and Airways and Dunn earlier this month. The group bought roughly 10 billboards around the city and plans TV and radio commercials, said its president, Mike Williams.

"This is the deal. We don't have ready access to media like the mayor does. They got a platform whenever they want it. We got to create a platform," Williams said. The group is urging people who agree with them to contact their City Council members.

Last week, Mayor A C Wharton presented a proposed budget to the Memphis City Council that contains two provisions that municipal labor unions oppose: a plan to move new workers and those with less than 10 years of experience out of the traditional defined benefit plan and into a 401 (k)-style retirement plan, and a proposal to cut most health care subsidies to retirees.

Wharton's administration says these steps will save millions of dollars that the city can dedicate to shoring up its underfunded pension plan.

Williams said some police officers are already leaving the force. "I'm saying that if we're not competitive with other places, we're not going to draw," he said.

Wharton's proposed budget for the police department is $238.5 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1, an increase of about 2 percent compared to last year.

A detailed hearing on the police budget is scheduled for May 6. Staffing and promotions likely will be part of those discussions. The police department hasn't trained a new class of recruits since the last class graduated in April 2013.

In his April 15 budget address, Wharton talked about hiring in general terms. "I think it's important to note at the outset that much has already been cut from public safety through attrition in the past several years. We plan to continue to use attrition — for example not backfilling certain positions as they become vacant — to rightsize our police department," the mayor told council members.

"But we will not put our citizens at risk. A safe, effective and more efficient delivery model for the Memphis Police Department is our goal. We are well on our way there."

This isn't the first time the police association has lobbied for its interests. During a debate over pay last year, the association put up billboards along busy streets that read, "Danger: enter at your own risk. This city does not support public safety."

The police association's campaign illustrates one of the most powerful forces influencing this year's budget process: municipal labor unions. Unlike unions in private companies, they can help choose their own bosses through campaign contributions and mobilizing voters. The city budget will be determined by 13 City Council members, some of whom have close ties to municipal unions. For instance, council member Janis Fullilove decorates her spot on the dais with posters from the AFSCME union and the police association.

The police department is the largest division within Memphis government both in terms of funding and staffing. The labor union for the second-largest division, fire, doesn't plan a media campaign now, said its president, Thomas Malone. Instead, the group is analyzing how to respond to the administration's plans to change pension benefits and health insurance for retirees. "We're not through with our work right now. We're not sure how we're going to approach this, whether through politics or through the courts, but it will be one of the two," he said.